Any Nordic users out there?

[East_TX_Spa]

Same components that go in the HS spas.

I'm just curious, which components that they use are the same as in a HotSpring?  Pumps, jets, heaters, controls, cabinet, shell, filters, circ pump, insulation, lights, pillows, drains, stereos, levers, IQ2020......

Thanks!

Terminator

[The_real_Clown_Shoes]

I'm just curious, which components that they use are the same as in a HotSpring?  Pumps, jets, heaters, controls, cabinet, shell, filters, circ pump, insulation, lights, pillows, drains, stereos, levers, IQ2020......

Thanks!

Terminator

I think this same portion was the part scott took offense too.  I wasn't really directing my comments to Mendo, either.

[Mendocino101]

I am unsure how this thread seems to have been so twisted....Regarding the compments....I mentioned  what I thought most refer to as the components heater, top side controls. spa pac....heater 5 year no fault titanium, Gecko on the rest...sounds very much like the unit used in Hot Springs as well Sundance, Gecko is what you find on Artisans as well as D-1 among others, one more example go to the Nordic web site and you will see the exact same Ozone unit that Chas posted here in another therad just a day or so ago as what goes into a Hot Springs spa.......Please just go back and read from the beginning all that was said by me was that they were very good components that are much the same as the better known makers and I stand behind that.....But at no time did I say they were better or even as good as Hot Springs in fact if you go back and read I very plainly said I did not think they were but that still for the dollars they are a very good value and again I stand behind that as well....

[Magnus]

OK, I'm just a newbie here, but maybe someone, dealer or owner, can fill me in.

What's the big deal here?  My sister had a Nordic (a round one), and traded it in after I had my Hot Spring Vanguard for 2 years because 1) she like mine better and 2) mine cost about 1/3 as much to run.

they're not the same tub, but isn't it just a question as far as what you want, how much you want to spend up front and also how much you want to spend after the initial purchase?

Granted, I'm biased and love my vanguard, and I know now that i've had it for 4 years it's cost me about the same as it would have to own a Nordic (energy costs primarily. I live in Northern Michigan BTW)

But I am confused.  I thought all of the Hot Springs parts were made by  Hot Springs.  Am I wrong?  I think East Texas mentioned (or illuded to) something along that line.  Was I lied to by my salesperson?

Any honest facts would be great here, and maybe help Saint Chuck as well.

BTW, Chuck, are you still undecided or did you pick one out?

[saint_chuck]

Yep, still here. (Actually, I was in jail because I was hammering and kicking the cabinets and shells at the local tub dealers)
Is kicking and hammering the hot tub a normal part of hot tub ownership? Maybe that is why my Tiger River didn't appreciate me. I was too lenient.
Insulation is different in the comparison but with the same result - they both insulate well. If using a more dense foam, it would logically require more of it as in HS.
But in the end, a styrofoam cup is still a styrofoam cup.(Friend in Goose Bay, Canada and friend in Norway - both love their Nordics)
My insulation in the Tiger River was infested with ants every time I forgot to apply a chemical barrier every season - I like the idea of a physical barrier becasue the insulation is not impervious to ants.
Tip up a hot springs (or any other brand) and insert a needle. Then tip up a Nordic and try to insert a needle.
I would rather simulate an ant trying to penetrate the foam rather than simulating trapping a violent person under the tub.
Lifetime guarantee on the shell - even though it sounds like a base drum when it is empty. I don't plan on it being empty, but when it is I could practice my rhythms.
10 year gurantee on the permawood cabinet.
I am firmly in the market for a whirlpool and not a station spa. The Crown XL is impressive by anyone's standards. The 5 Hp motor jetted thru the 2 whirlpool turbo jets is superior to any other whirlpool that I've seen (it will rip off a bikini top -- wink wink!) Lighting may not be the same manufacturer, but the outcome is the same. (The factory will customize my light system with tiny lights around the circumference).
Surprisingly, price is my least considerate factor, but will always appreciate an extra $4000 in my pocket to buy other toys.
Can anyone out there put me into (wet test) a circular whirlpool that would serve me better? (No frills)
Thanks Mendo for keeping it real. That scott sounded like my local HS dealer - before anyone takes offense, let me just say that my local HS dealer is incapable of rational discussion other than "it's not a hotsprings."
HotSprings IS A PREMIER maker, but at a ridiculous price greater than the sum of it's parts. It is just a label affixed to the cabinet.........
(Thanks also to Magnus,Giraffe, and Fatman)

[scott10367]

Hi, sorry off yesterday. I have not made a secret of the fact that I am a HS dealer.  But if you read my original answer to this post I very clearly state that Sundance, Artesian and Great Lakes are all better than Nordic in my opinion.  I am not "saying HS only" as St Chuck states.  Also, I am not arguing with Mendos' statement that Nordic is a basic no frill spa, though I am still curious if he reps or sells them?  My point was and is that to compare a Nordic DIRECTLY to a HS (or other high end loaded spa) is unfair.  If you are gonna buy a basic spa on price...go for it.  But don't delude yourself that it is the same or uses the same compenets as the other high end units!  I think Mendo and others got pulled into this because of some of my verbage when I was really just trying to get St. Chuck to realize they are not the same.  If he wet tests Nordic, not just the wirlpool jet, but actually wet tests it and loves it ...then it is the right spa for him.  But, I have used Nordics many times and except for the wirlpool, there is not much action from their "5 hp" pump. Thanks also to East TX for pointing just a few more differences between the compenents.

[Mendocino101]

Scott,

Thanks for answering...I still strongly disagree with you almost to the point of saying you are completely wrong regarding the components ...No one as of yet has addressed the heater, or the controls or the ozone unit...I have summarize the reason is that.. they are for the most part very very comparable but that is not to say that the overall spa is as good......which if you read I never said just that the components are very good and again I do not think it is disputable ....I just again will say that I think they are good value if you want something for under 5 grand....but please read if you missed it....I always said they never were intended to compete with the bigger names but to offer a value spa while still maintaining a high level of quality and that the nuts and bolts of the unit are very good.....l

[D.P. Roberts]

But, I have used Nordics many times and except for the wirlpool, there is not much action from their "5 hp" pump.

Just to put in my two cents- I know that "5 hp" has been thrown around this thread- in this case, somewhat disparagingly. I just wanted everyone to know that this is not an overinflated number put out by the manufacturer- I'm not sure where this comes from. From everything I've read, Nordic does not even publish HP numbers.

In trying to research these tubs, I e-mailed Nordics' tech support and asked them for these numbers directly. A very helpful rep then responded with a lengthy post explaining why comparing HP numbers doesn't necessarily translate to what you experience in a wet test. He then gave me the numbers I was looking for, including the mathematics that proved that they were valid continuous HP ratings and not brake HP,

To me, this is how all manufactuers ought to use their numbers.